Photographic sensitive materials (hereinafter referred to simply as "sensitive material") are generally produced by providing a subbing layer on a plastic film base and applying photographic sensitive layers (hereinafter referred to simply as "sensitive layers") to the subbing layer.
In recent years, techniques for producing sensitive materials have been remarkably improved; for example, the coating speed for the subbing layer, coating speed for the sensitive layer, and cutting speed have been remarkably increased. Consequently, static electricity tends to be easily generated in such steps of production.
Further, high speed is required for photographing and for development processing, too. In these steps, static electricity also tends to be generated.
The generation of static electricity can be a very serious problem, because not only does dust stick to the sensitive layer due to the generation of static electricity, but spark discharge may also occur, and consequently, so-called static marks are formed on the sensitive layer.
Hitherto, in order to prevent charging of the sensitive materials, polymeric electrolytes or ionic surface active agents have generally been used. For example, as anionic polymeric electrolytes, there are high molecular substances containing carboxylic acid, carboxylic acid salt or sulfonic acid salt as described in, for example, Japanese Patent Application (OPI) No. 22017/73 (the term "OPI" as used herein refers to a "published unexamined Japanese patent application"), Japanese Patent Publication 24159/71 and Japanese Patent Application (OPI) Nos. 30725/76, 129216/76 and 95942/80. Examples of cationic polymeric electrolytes include substances described, for example, in Japanese Patent Application (OPI) Nos. 121523/74 and 91165/73 and Japanese Patent Publication No. 24582/74. Useful ionic surface active agents include both anionic and cationic types. Examples thereof include compounds described in Japanese Patent Application (OPI) Nos. 85826/74 and 33630/74, U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,992,108 and 3,206,312, Japanese Patent Application (OPI) No. 87826/73, Japanese Patent Publication Nos. 11567/74 and 11568/74 and Japanese Patent Application (OPI) No. 70837/80, etc.
However, these compounds generally cause deterioration of adhesion between the base and the subbing layer, or between the subbing layer and the emulsion layer, and they often cause trouble of adhesion when the subbing layer and the subbing layer or the snubbing layer and the emulsion layer are brought into contact with each other, because of having a high hygroscopic property. Further, the antistatic properties of these substances have a large humidity dependence, and many of them do not function satisfactorily at low humidity.